The invention relates to a device for storing or packing loose objects. More particularly, the invention relates to a storing or packing device of the kind comprising a plurality of substantially rigid container elements including a bottom wall having substantially parallel side edges, and end walls and side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, said end walls and side walls of said elements having upper edges defining an element upper side, and hinge means hingedly interconnecting said plurality of container elements so as to form a unitary continuous row of said elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,846 issued to Meyering et al. discloses one such multiple-compartment storing or packing device. The device is provided with a row of hingedly interconnected container elements having a first end and a second end and said element row being movable between a first extended open position in which said container elements rest on their bottom walls with said element upper sides turned upwardly, and a second, rolled-up closed position in which said element row, starting from said first end thereof has been spirally rolled up from said first position to form a substantially closed block of prismatic shape comprising polygonal convolutions and in said block, each element, except for said first element, with a side turned towards said first element, is in abutting relation to the adjacent element hingedly connected thereto, and in said block, each of said majority of elements of varying widths has its said upper side matingly engaged and covered by at least one predetermined wall portion of corresponding size of at least one element situated radially inwardly thereof.
The container elements of Meyering et al. storing device all are sequentially positioned in the prismatic block. When one desires access to an element positioned near the first end of said row of elements, it is obligatory to completely or nearly completely unroll the prismatic block. However, in the completely unrolled first extended open position in which the container elements rest on their bottom walls, the device has large dimensions and as such it may be difficult to find a space large enough to provide for the complete unrolling or nearly complete unrolling of the known device. Further handling the prior art device for gaining access to an element positioned near the first end of said row of elements is rather awkward, especially when a support for the device during unrolling, such as a table top, is not present. Also, unrolling the device in order to make such an element near said first end accessible is time consuming and labor intensive.